Wesley Corpus

But, (as I said before,) ‘from what Scripture every one of my propositions is collected, any common Concordance will show.’ To save you trouble, I will for once point out those scriptures. ‘Whosoever will be saved must believe.” (Mark xvi. 16; Acts xvi. 31.) ‘This faith works by love.’ (Gal. v. 6.) It is “an evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. xi. 1.) “He that believes is born of God.” (1 John v. 1.) “He has the witness in himself.’ (Verse 10.) ‘The Spirit itself witnesses with his spirit, that he is a child of God.” (Rom. viii. 16.) “In the fifth you say, ‘You embrace any shift to twist words to your own meaning.” This is saying just nothing. Any one may say this of any one. To prove it, is another point. In the sixth you say, ‘No Protestant Divine ever taught your doctrine of assurance.’ I hope you know no better; but it is strange you should not. Did you never see Bishop Hall's Works? Was not he a Protestant Divine? Was not Mr. Perkins, Bolton, Dr. Sibbs, Dr. Preston, Arch bishop Leighton? Inquire a little farther; and do not run thus hand over head, asserting you know not what. By assurance, (if we must use the expression,) I mean ‘a con fidence which a man hath in God, that by the merits of Christ his sins are forgiven, and he reconciled to the favour of God.” Stop! Do not run your head into a noose again. These are the words of the Homily. “In the seventh you grant, ‘that works are not meritorious, unless accompanied with faith. No, nor then neither. But Dec. 1760.] JOURNAL. 31 pray do not talk of this any more, till you know the difference between meritorious and rewardable; otherwise your ignorance will cause you to blunder on without shame and without end. “In your eighth you throw out a hard word, which some body has helped you to, Thaumaturg--what is it?--about Lay Preachers. When you have answered the arguments in the ‘Farther Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion, I will say something more upon that head.